Life or Death?
by kate-himym
Summary: Barney doesn't know what to do with himself after Robin is rushed into surgery after a terrible car accident. Will his fiancé pull through or will it be a painful end?
1. The Night Before

_Life or Death?_

THE NIGHT BEFORE

"Scoot over?" Lily smiled at her best friend, and sat down next to him. Women often called Lily crazy for having Barney Stinson as a good friend but they didn't know what was underneath the womanizing exterior, unlike Lily. Anyway, he was engaged to Robin now, proving he was more than what people thought.

"You two are so cute," Marshall said, noticing the adorable smiles Barney and Robin were giving each other from across the table.

"We prefer to be called awesome, not cute. We're not you and Lily," Barney scoffed, raising an eyebrow. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh really, well how come you two are holding hands underneath the table then?" Lily giggled, nudging Barney slightly.

"Just..just..okay?" Barney whined, immediately letting go of his fiancé's hand.

"So, where's Ted?" Robin asked, changing the subject.

"He said he's stuck at school, something about trying to convince a student not to drop out of his class," Lily explained, while taking a sip of her gin and tonic. The normal, interesting booth discussions were dead ever since Marvin had arrived. No matter how much the five of them tried to deny it, they all knew it was true.

"Is your mom sure she's okay with having Marv for the whole weekend, Marshall? Did you tell her about the certain formula he has to have and his 4 o'clock naps?" Lily rambled on, listing off things she had hoped Marshall had told Marv's grandmother.

"Ugh, baby talk. Let's get out of here," Barney scowled in disgust at Lily's motherly worries.

"Yup!" Robin agreed, and they both sped out of MacLaren's as quickly as possible.

"What do you want to do tonight then, Scherbatsky?" Barney smiled his flirtatious smile.

"Hmm...I have a feeling you want to answer that question," Robin giggled, knowing what was going through her soon-to-be husband's mind. Barney put his arms around her and kissed her gently. What Marshall said earlier was true and he knew it, they really _were_ cute.

"And I'd love to but I promised Sandy I'd cover his shift at work tonight," Robin finished, her smile fading.

"I'll be waiting 'til you get back," Barney winked.

"I love you," Robin smirked, and bit Barney's lip, before running off into her bedroom to get changed for work.

When she came out she looked effortlessly beautiful, with her perfectly curled hair that just touched her shoulders and her gorgeous, knee-length dress.

"Wow," Barney breathed, "my girl is gorgeous."

"I'd like to think so," Robin winked, picking up her jacket that was laid on the couch.

"I'll see you later," Barney kissed her forehead.

"Bye, I'll be back at about 12," Robin smiled, before Barney smacked her ass. She turned around and smiled flirtatiously. As the door closed Barney smiled to himself. He couldn't ignore how content he felt now he was with Robin. A year or two ago he would have thought he was crazy; settling down with a girl, but now it couldn't feel more right. Perhaps what Ted had been talking about, about 'The One' actually _was _true. This was crazy talk coming from someone who had slept with over 200 women, Barney knew that. But maybe his days of banging random chicks was over. He knew what he had with Robin was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and after all, they were getting _married. _Should he be feeling worried that he was only ever going to wake up to the same person every morning? Should he be worried that there'd be no more fooling bimbos into sleeping with him? All of these thoughts flew around his mind but he could only concentrate on one thing: he was in love with this girl. Robin Scherbatsky was no random skank, she was the love of his life and he couldn't deny it. Barney's thoughts were cut off by his phone ringing in his pocket. It was Ted.

"Hey, bro, what's up?"

"Wanna hang out?"

"Sure."

After a while of drinking beer and catching up with his best friend, Barney got a cab back to his place. He swore to himself that he would wait up for Robin but by the time 2am rolled around he was already fast asleep. Before he fell asleep he had been a tiny bit concerned of how late it was getting, as Robin said she would've been back around 12am but he didn't think too much of it. However, when he woke up to a knock on the door and no Robin lying next to him, he knew something was up.


	2. A Wild Nightmare Or Just Harsh Reality?

A WILD NIGHTMARE OR JUST HARSH REALITY?

"Barney Stinson?" a small, grey-haired police officer asked.

"Yes?" Barney answered, worry and dread building in his stomach.

"I'm afraid your fiancé has been in a car accident. It's bad, son, it's really bad."

The next few moments seemed to be like a dream. After the words had been spoken Barney's world had been tipped into some crazy nightmare. He told himself she would be fine, that everything would be alright. It was Robin Scherbatsky, after all; the strongest woman he had ever met, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly and unmistakably wrong. The police man had told him she was at St Marcus' hospital being prepared for surgery. The first person he had called was Lily. He knew that whoever he called, they would panic. Robin was always the person who was called in a crisis, and she was laid in a hospital bed.

"This can't be happening," Lily whispered down the phone, her voice broken with fear.

"I...I'm scared, Lil," Barney stuttered, his eyes filling up with tears.

"I'll meet you at the hospital in half an hour. Don't worry sweetie, we're all here for you," Lily put on a brave voice, knowing how much her friend needed her support.

Half an hour later, Lily, Ted and Marshall met Barney at the hospital. Immediately, they knew how hard Barney was taking this. His face looked drained of happiness and it looked like he had lost hope, and maybe even, as he would say, _awesomeness._

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay," Lily comforted him, hugging her friend at once.

"Look, bro, it's Robin. She'll pull through, I promise," Ted tried to smile, but he realised how much this was hurting him too. It was _Robin_.

"She...she's going into surgery in 10 minutes. She was on the side of the cab that the car crashed into. They...they said the blood loss is what they're worried about the most," Barney managed to get out, in between sniffles.

"Sit down, honey. Marshall, get him some coffee will you?" Lily said, trying to stay as strong as possible. This wasn't like Lily. In a crisis she would normally end up panicking or crying and someone would have to comfort her, but this time it was different. Her best friend in the whole world was on the verge of death and she needed to keep strong, for Barney's sake.

"She's all ready for surgery. We'll be sending her in shortly," an attractive male doctor appeared in the hallway. He seemed optimistic, something which everyone needed to be.

"Can I come and see her first?" Barney asked, getting to his feet. The doctor nodded and led Barney into the hospital room. Robin was lying in the bed, attached to monitors, her hair still clotted with blood and her face covered in scratches. The sight of his fiancé like this made Barney die a little inside. He swallowed back tears and walked over to her. She still looked beautiful, lying there passed out with bruises covering her body. How that was possible, Barney had no idea, but it somehow was.

"I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes," the doctor smiled, and left the room.

"You better pull through, Scherbatsky," Barney laughed, trying to cover up how worried he was. He knew she wasn't going to react - she was unconscious - but he spoke to her anyway, just like he would if she was awake. He paused for a while and took in a deep breath. He looked down at her once again and sighed. _This shouldn't be happening. She doesn't deserve this_, he thought to himself.

"Mr Stinson? We have to take Robin into surgery now," the doctor reappeared at the doorway.

"Yes," Barney managed to murmur. He left the room, nearly shaking with fear.

"She'll do fine, Barney. Don't worry," Marshall smiled and patted Barney on the arm as he entered the hallway again.

The next couple of hours seemed to drag on forever. Barney didn't move from his seat at all and his eyes were firmly fixed on the floor at all times. He couldn't stop thinking about their last conversation. She had said bye and he hadn't even replied. She had said she loved him and all he did was laugh flirtatiously. It was a cute moment, he knew that, but he wished he had said he loved her too, because he did. He _really _did. She deserved to know that. All sorts of thoughts went through his mind – _what if she doesn't make it? What if she doesn't recover properly?_

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Lily appeared at his side, with a bag of gummy bears and a coffee in her hand. Barney remained silent, not moving a single muscle in his body. Lily sighed. She was also feeling an overwhelming amount of fear, just as Barney was.

"It's been over 2 hours now. How long was the procedure supposed to last?" Ted asked, not really sure who he was aiming the question at. Nobody replied.

It was a total of 3 hours before the surgeon rushed into the hallway. Barney immediately got to his feet.

"How...how is she?" he stammered, hoping for the news to be good.

"She's stable at the moment but there was a tiny complication during surgery," the doctor explained. Barney's heart leapt into overdrive.

"What...is...is she okay?" Lily stood up, her heart racing.

"She is for the moment but a lot can change. We know for definite that she won't be awake for a while yet. It differs; it's just up to her. It could be less than a few weeks, or it could be months," the doctor continued, moving to face towards Lily.

"What was the complication?" Ted brought himself to ask. Barney stood there in silence, taking all of the information in.

"Because she lost so much blood it was not at all uncommon for her to experience trouble during surgery. Her heart rate lowered to a very dangerous level but luckily we were able to fix this. Like I said, she's stable for now but it's just a matter of time," the doctor said, trying not to worry everyone.

"I need to see her," Barney managed to say, heading towards the hospital room. As he approached the doorway for the second time that day he hesitated. _This seems surreal_, he thought to himself. She looked different this time; she seemed more relaxed and more at peace. The blood was finally cleaned from her hair but this time she was all bandaged up. He walked over to her and sat down on the chair that was placed next to the bed.

"Hey," he whispered, gently getting hold of her hand. He fingered her engagement ring and sighed.

"You know if you don't wake up I'll have wasted my money on this," he laughed, trying to joke but feeling beaten down. _Wake up, please God just wake up, _he thought to himself, praying she would open her beautiful eyes. But it was no use; she stayed perfectly still, her eyes almost seeming glued shut. He didn't feel like the normal Barney Stinson anymore but then again, he hadn't dealt with many life-or-death situations in his life. He wasn't used to this sort of thing, especially when it was someone like Robin. His _fiancé_. He kept saying the word in his head over and over again, trying to become familiar with it.

"It's funny isn't it? We never wanted to get married. We were always against commitment. How did we find ourselves here?" he said, hoping she would do as much as move a finger in response.

Out in the hallway, Lily, Marshall and Ted sat in silence. Marshall had his arm around his wife, wondering how on earth they got to this situation.

"Marv can't grow up in a world without his Aunt Robin. He can't, he just can't," Lily cried, breaking the silence and finally letting the tears she had bottled up all day roll down her cheek.

"Don't say that, Lil. You heard the doctor, she's stable. She's doing fine," Ted said, wanting to be the person who stayed optimistic in this whole ordeal.

"Yeah, come on Lilypad. Don't cry," Marshall agreed, wiping tears from Lily's face with his thumb.

"It's just...I just didn't think this would ever happen, you know? I didn't think I would ever have to face my best friend being in this situation. I'm starting to wonder whether it's a wild nightmare or just...harsh reality, I guess," Lily said, resting her head on Marshall's shoulder.

"I wonder how Barney's doing," Ted said, hoping his best friend was coping as well as he had hoped.

"I can't even begin to imagine," Marshall said, trying to avoid thinking how traumatic it would be knowing your other half was in a hospital bed, with a chance of never waking up.

Barney was in Robin's hospital room for almost an hour. He tried to stay calm, just talking about normal everyday things but he couldn't help but feel intensely scared. Thinking of how many sleepless nights he was going to have from now until she woke up made Barney shiver. _She will wake up, she will, she will, _he said to himself in his head, not bringing himself to think of the alternative. He thought of the previous times he had been in hospital rooms, in particular the time Robin had 'Mosby'ed him. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He smiled to himself at how different they were back then, yet completely the same. It made no sense but it was true. He knew he had changed a lot since then but the most important thing was he knew he was in love with her that day, and he was in love with her right then. His thoughts were interrupted when the doctor from earlier entered the room.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are over now, Mr Stinson," he said.


	3. Patience

PATIENCE

The next couple of weeks for Barney were a set routine. He would go to bed late, not sleep all night, wake up early, go to visit Robin and worry.

"I'm really worried about him. He hasn't had a decent night sleep since the accident," Lily said one Saturday at MacLaren's. It was a little more than two weeks since Robin had the surgery and there was still no sign of recovery.

"I know. He spends all day every day in that hospital room, he needs to get out and just...relax," Ted nodded.

"I don't think he'll ever be able to relax. But how about you two try and distract him, you know, just take him out...do 'bro' stuff? I haven't had chance to see Robin properly this week. I'll take Marv to my mom's," Lily suggested, realising she hadn't even visited her best friend in the hospital properly all week.

"Sure, that's if he's up to it of course," Marshall said.

"Oh, here he is," Lily caught a glimpse of Barney at the entrance of the bar. He entered looking dragged down and broken. Ted, Marshall and Lily could hardly recognise their best friend. There seemed to be no trace of the awesome man they used to know, only two weeks ago. He walked over to the booth in silence, looking as if he might break down at any point.

"Still no change," he muttered, referring to Robin. He collapsed to the seat next to Lily and let his head fall in his hands.

"She'll be fine, sweetie," Lily said, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Hey," Lily entered the hospital room later that day, "I know I haven't seen you much all week, I've been so busy with little Marv. I think he misses you." Robin stayed completely still as Lily talked, unaware of her presence.

"How about you wake up now, Robin? Please. This is killing Barney. It's killing all of us. I think Barney's losing his patience, honey, I'm worried about him," Lily sat down next to her best friend. Tears began to form in the brim of her eyes. She wiped them away before they could roll down her cheek.

"I'm scared, Robin. I'll admit it; I'm scared," she looked at her best friend and she felt her heart break slightly. She didn't look like Robin Scherbatsky anymore. The glow she always used to have had disappeared and her hair was no longer in the perfect state is usually was. The engagement ring on her finger glistened in the lights of the hospital room and Lily sighed. She couldn't face Robin not waking up. She tried as hard as she could not to think like that, but she couldn't help it. It was a possibility. _What if she doesn't wake up? _Lily's mind began imagining what it would be like without her best friend in her life and it made chills run down her back.

"You know, I think that hospital gown is your colour. How the hell do you still look beautiful?" Lily smiled, realising her best friend still looked pretty no matter how different she looked. Lily had always been jealous of Robin. She seemed to have the looks, the body – everything. Lily stayed there for a while that day, just filling her friend in on the weekly news.

"Oh god, look at the time, I've got to go pick Marv up," Lily said, catching sight of the clock, "It's been nice seeing you, sweetie." She stroked her best friend's hair, tucking a gorgeous curl behind her ear. As she left the room she stopped at the doorway and looked back at Robin and sighed. _Wake up, _she thought to herself, before closing the door and heading out of the hospital.

"Dude, do you not think you've had enough?" Ted jested towards the five empty glasses of scotch that stood next to Barney on the table. His best friend looked up at him and shrugged. Marshall gave Ted a worrying look. They both hated to see Barney in such a dark place.

"She'll be alright, Barney," Marshall said. This began to make Barney angry. He couldn't count how many times people had told him she was going to be 'alright'. And really, how did they know that? The thing was... they didn't. They were just saying anything to try and calm him down and Barney was sick of it. He shouted, angrier than ever before,

"People keep saying this but what if she isn't? I've woken up every day for a whole week worrying. Worried and scared - scared in case she doesn't open her eyes, scared in case I don't hear her speak for one last time. Scared in case I never get the chance to tell her how much I truly love her. So, no, don't tell me that I've had enough to drink or that she'll be okay or that I need to 'relax'. I don't need that! Maybe I need to be angry, because I don't deserve this, Robin doesn't deserve this, none of us deserve this! Do you really believe in the whole destiny and karma shit, Ted? Because I sure don't. What has Robin done to be stuck in a coma in a hospital bed, can you tell me that? And Marshall, don't pretend like this wouldn't hurt you because damn it, I know for a fact if it was Lily in that hospital bed you'd be in a worse state than this!" He began to feel his hands shake with fury. He stood up and slammed down his drink. Neither Marshall nor Ted responded because they knew it was true. Marshall looked down into his beer and sighed, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "you must be sick of people saying that."

"Yes, yes I fucking am," Barney yelled.

He left Ted and Marshall alone and stormed out of MacLaren's. He knew for a fact he shouldn't even think of going to see Robin now, he was almost completely off his head, yet he couldn't stop himself. The doctors tried to stop him as he stumbled into the hospital but he pushed himself through the crowd that began to gather. He could hardly see the door of the room as he edged closer to it as his vision had begun to blur. He burst into the room and tried to make his way over to his fiancé.

"Why are you doing this to me, Robin?" he shouted at her, staring down at her with his sad eyes. He could only see a vague outline of her body, partly because he was completely drunk, but mainly because his eyes had filled up with tears.

"Why won't you fucking wake up? It's been two weeks. And I know the doctor said it could be months but you're Robin Scherbatsky! You're the strongest woman I know, Robin. Please, God, you're killing me now! Wake up!" he let himself go, reaching for the chair to through across the room. It smashed against the wall and Barney collapsed to the floor.

"Why? Just why?" he sobbed, not caring if the doctor came in at any point. He heard the life support machine beep away in a smooth rhythm and he leant back against the wall. Almost immediately, Robin's doctor stormed into the room.

"Mr Stinson, you are going to have to leave," he said angrily. Barney ignored him and stayed sitting on the floor - that is until the machine started to beep faster.

"What's happening?" Barney mumbled, getting to his feet. Barney saw the panic sweep across the doctor's face.

"She's crashing," the doctor said.


	4. Panic

**A/N – sorry for the late update, I've been extremely busy and I haven't had time. Hope you enjoy this chapter though, and thank you for the lovely reviews x**

PANIC

A rush of doctors and nurses soon entered the room and Barney was gradually guided out. His mind was in total disruption and flashes of scenarios flew through his mind. He turned around to see Marshall and Ted there, with looks of apprehension in their eyes.

"Barney..." Ted started, looking at his best friend with worry. He stopped as he realised he had no idea what to say. The three of them stood for a while in silence, sharing glances of fear.

"I should call Lily," Marshall said, reaching for his phone in his pocket. From the hospital room Barney could hear the sound of the machines beeping and the sound of muffled voices.

_ "All clear!" _Barney heard a female doctor say, before the sound of an AED shocking Robin back to life. Barney's heart was in his mouth as he heard the doctors shouting commands at each other. It didn't seem real, none of this seemed real. Panic washed over him as he realised this was it, this was life or death.

"She's on her way," Marshall said, forcing a half-hearted smile. Barney nodded, not completely listening.

"Barney, can we do anything to help you?" he finished, noticing the fear in Barney's expression.

"I need to sit down," he gasped, reaching for the chair that was next to him. Ted went to fetch Barney a cup of coffee to sober him up and he sat, still imagining every situation possible in his mind.

Once more, time seemed to drag on forever. Every movement of a doctor made Barney flinch, thinking it was someone to give him news on his fiancé. _It shouldn't take that long for her to pull through, should it?_ He thought, noticing the time showing on his watch. _Why isn't anyone telling me anything?_

"Marshall!" Lily's voice caught Barney's attention. She bounded towards her husband and hugged him, her eyes damp with tears, and then she did the same to Ted. She turned to face Barney and smiled sadly, walking over to him. Everyone was here now; the four people Robin loved the most. Surely that was all she needed for her to pull through? I guess all they needed to do was wait. Eventually though, a doctor appeared in the hallway.

"Are you here for Robin Scherbatsky?" he asked.

"Y...yes," Barney managed to croak.

"It's good news, we were able to stabilize her and she is now back to the way she was before," the doctor smiled. As the words were said Barney felt a rush of relief wash over him. Despite the amount of alcohol that was in his system, he felt more sober than he had felt in a long time. He heard Lily sigh beside him, and he knew it was a sigh of relief also.

"Thank you, doctor," Barney said. This time his words were solid and strong, like he finally had the hope he had searched for since the minute he heard Robin was in the hospital, "would I be able to go see her?"

"Yes, sir," the doctor smiled with friendliness.

"I don't know how many times I've been in this room in the past few weeks," Barney managed to laugh; unable to count the endless times he had entered and exited that hospital room. Every time he felt the same emotion – fear. But this time he had hope and faith that she would wake up.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I really am. I'm sorry that I shouted at you and I'm sorry if I made you..." he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud, "You have to promise me you'll never do that to me again, Scherbatsky. You scared the shit out of me." For the one-millionth time he sat down in the lonely chair that was placed by Robin's bed and he looked down on her. He should have still been drunk, very_, very _drunk, but the news that his fiancé had almost died had sobered him up. Well, that and the ridiculous amount of coffee that Ted had tried to forced down him.

"I miss you so much, I'm going out of my mind," he whispered, afraid that if he said the words too loudly he would realise how out of character he sounded. He held her hand so tight he could feel her engagement ring dig into his skin, hard enough to make a light mark yet he didn't care. He wanted to hold her hand forever, or until she woke up at least.

"You'll wake up...I know you will," he said, really trying to believe it. He was glad he was feeling stronger and he was so happy she was stable again, but he couldn't shift the feeling of fear that was still buried deep inside him. It suddenly occurred to him that he still hadn't said those three words that he had wanted to say for so long.

"I love you," he said out loud, wondering how on earth Barney Stinson got to that situation. It was crazy, really. Never in a million years would he have thought he would be in a hospital room, holding his _fiancé's_ hand, telling her he _loved_ her. Marriage was never an option for Barney; _love_ was never really an option for Barney. Well, it wasn't before he knew his true feelings for Robin. Before Robin. He couldn't even imagine his life without her right at that moment; it seemed too surreal to think about.

"I love you, Robin, and it kills me to see you laid here. I just need you to wake up," he continued, noticing how many times he had told her that, how many times he had told her to wake up but she hadn't moved an inch. Then, almost like a miracle, he felt a slight twitch of her finger. His heart started to beat faster, faster than when he had been told she was in hospital, faster than when she had crashed, faster than ever before.

"Robin..." he whispered again. And there it was again, a soft, slight movement of her hand. Slowly, her beautiful eyes began to open.

"Robin...you're awake," he felt a smile grow upon his face as she looked into his eyes and he felt her hand squeeze his. She was still too weak to speak, but Barney didn't mind.

"You wouldn't believe how many times I've hoped you'd open those eyes, Robin. You wouldn't believe!" he said, still smiling with joy, "I better go get a doctor though." He kissed his fiancé's hand and rushed out to tell everyone she was awake. He got the attention of a doctor and hurried to tell his friends.

"She's awake, she's awake, guys," he announced, his smile seeming to get bigger and bigger by the minute.

"What? Oh my God," Lily stood up and rushed towards Barney. All four of them ran towards the entrance of Robin's room and looked in. She was awake, she was _finally _awake. The same doctor from before was altering things on her machine next to her and writing things on a clipboard.

"She looks so beautiful," Lily smiled, tears again forming in her eyes. Barney knocked on the door and walked in.

"Mr Stinson, come in," the doctor grinned.


	5. Confessing & Confiding

**A/N – I know I'm slow at updating, I'm so lazy, sorry :') and sorry if any of the characters are a bit OOC in this chapter...or basically the whole fanfic, it's just hard writing them in this sort of situation. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, there is a flashback of the proposal in this chapter, so it's a bit of a change to the story thanks again to everyone who has reviewed/followed xx**

CONFESSING & CONFIDING 

Barney entered the room and smiled at Robin. She looked exhausted and weak which made Barney a little sad, yet he refused to show it. Although she was awake, she was only faintly aware that people were around her.

"How's she doing?" Barney asked the doctor, realising Robin was far too frail to even smile.

"Well the good news is she is awake, the bad news is she probably won't be able to be her normal self for a while. There may be some memory loss as she's experienced a huge trauma and we'll need to run a few tests tomorrow. For now, she just needs rest," he explained.

Robin lay in the bed, feeling worse off than she had ever felt before. She hardly remembered the details of the accident, it was all a huge blur, but she knew vaguely what had happened. She felt her eyes gently close but a flash of images flew through her mind, making her jump and her eyes shot open again.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here," Barney smiled, reaching for his fiancé's hand. Robin looked into his eyes and she'll admit it, she felt safer.

"The doctor says you won't be back to your normal self quite yet, you don't have to rush anything you know, just relax," he said softly, gently caressing her hand. He could see what was happening; she was having flashbacks. It's understandable, she _had _been in a terrible accident, but Barney hadn't even thought of that. He didn't even think for one minute that she would be traumatized when she woke up. Robin looked at him and slowly nodded, wincing in pain as she discovered she had a terrible wound on her head.

"Careful!" Barney said protectively, reaching to smoothen down her hair.

"I'm sorry," Robin whispered, her voice hardly strong enough to hear. Barney frowned in confusion.

"What for?"

"Making you worry, I...I heard you when you came to visit me."

"You did?"

"I did."

"Oh, Robin. You don't have to apologise. I should be the one apologising. I made things worse, didn't I? I almost made you...crash," Barney looked down in shame, recalling what he had done earlier. He had no idea Robin could hear everything he had said.

"I saw you. When the car crashed into the cab, I saw you," Robin confessed, playing back the memory in her head.

"Want to know a secret?" Barney said, looking in to her eyes.

"Yeah."

"Remember when I got hit by that bus a few years back? I saw you. I saw you and it scared the hell out of me because that's...that's when I realised I was in love with you, Robin," he looked at Robin's expression and he couldn't believe how shocked she looked.

"Really?" her voice was still just louder than a whisper, but he could tell that had cheered her up a little.

"Really."

All of a sudden a friendly female voice came from the door. "I couldn't wait any longer, I had to come and see you!"

Barney was quite glad the moment had been interrupted, it was getting surprisingly cheesy. Lily rushed over to the bed and stood over her best friend, "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I could be worse, I suppose," Robin managed to say; trying to force a smile but it was no use.

"I've missed you so much!" Lily smiled, gently hugging Robin, being careful not to cause her too much pain, "We all have!"

"Aw, that's sweet, Lil," Robin said.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, by the way..." Lily suddenly noticed the expression on Barney's face, suggesting there had been some form of emotional conversation beginning, which was completely unlike Barney and Robin.

"No, it's fine, honestly," Barney said, truthfully. He loved Robin and he wanted her to know that but neither of them had ever been good at the emotional stuff so Lily had somewhat saved them from what could have become a very Ted-like situation. Confessing their true feelings had never been what Barney and Robin do best.

"Okay, well, I think Marshall and Ted are dying to come and see you, Robin," she looked towards the door and saw her husband looking through.

"Aw, tell them to come in."

The next hour went over quite quickly. It had seemed like forever since the five of them had a decent conversation. No baby talk was involved for once, much to Barney and Robin's delight, and it was amazing to have Robin back, and even though she was definitely far from her usual self, it was just a blessing for everyone to see her awake again. Slowly, though, Robin began to tire.

"Thanks you guys but...I think I need to rest now," she said, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Oh, of course. You get your rest, honey," Lily smiled, hugging her best friend again.

Marshall, Lily and Ted left the room, leaving Barney and Robin alone again.

"Is it okay if I stay? You can sleep. It's just...if I go home then I'm just going to be worrying about you, plus the apartment is empty without you," Barney asked, holding her hand.

"If you want. It's not like Barney Stinson to watch someone sleep though," she managed to finally smile, her eyes still drifting shut.

"Well, maybe I've changed."

Robin opened her eyes and looked at her fiancé. He _had_ changed, but it wasn't necessarily for the worse. If anything, it was for the better. He had always had a soft side, anyone could see that, but he definitely had matured a lot in the past couple of years. Robin couldn't help but wonder if she had helped with that. But, however, Robin had changed too. She was more comfortable with expressing her feelings than she used to be - well, she was Robin Scherbatsky, she still wasn't perfect at it - but she knew that Barney had brought that soft side out in her. This accident had also helped, it had made her realise just how much Barney meant to her. Seeing him in that flash before she was knocked unconscious during the car accident had made her appreciate how lucky she was to have him. And soon she was going to become his wife. His _wife._

"Hmmm...maybe you have."

Robin fell asleep in a matter of minutes, leaving Barney to lose himself in his thoughts. Memories between Robin and him spun through his mind and then it was his turn to realise how lucky he was to have her. He watched her sleep and he couldn't ignore how peaceful she looked and how beautiful she seemed. _I'm one lucky guy_, he thought to himself. He had a lot of time to spare until Robin woke up again so he started reminiscing about the day he proposed to her...

_ It had been a few weeks since Barney and Robin had got back together. It couldn't be going more perfectly. Barney knew what he wanted to do, he didn't know if he was crazy for wanting to propose but he knew that he wanted to do it nevertheless. Lily, Marshall and Ted all knew what was going to happen...he hoped to God Lily hadn't spilt the secret like she usually did. He wanted this day to go without anything dreadful happening; they really deserved a sweet moment without any interruptions or something going wrong. Surely the universe owed them that after everything that hadn't gone their way over the last few years? He laid rose petals over the bed and lit candles so that the whole room was gently glowing, just like the day when Robin had chosen Kevin over him. It was the least he could do for Robin and even though they were never the most romantic two people in the world, spoiling her was his guilty pleasure. He was going to pop the question after she'd got back from work, which was in less than half an hour's time. It was Robin, it couldn't feel more right but Barney was still nervous. What if she said no? Barney kept imagining all the situations that could possibly happen and it only just freaked him out more. He sat in the living room counting down the minutes until finally there was a rummage at the door._

_ She entered the apartment and saw Barney sitting on the couch. She was surprised he hadn't pounced on her already. "Eugh. Worst day ever," she said, sighing, "I just want to go to bed and sleep forever." She collapsed on the couch next to Barney and leant on his shoulder._

_ "Aww..." Barney realised he was stuck for words. This proposal was harder than when he had proposed to Quinn. It needed to be even more perfect; it needed to show all of his love for Robin in just one question. He didn't want to let her down, especially after everything they'd been through._

_ "Are you okay? You're acting weird...Usually you're all over me as soon as I get in the door trying to get me into bed for the 30__th__ time this week."_

_ "Trying?" he raised an eyebrow and laughed._

_ "You know what I mean..." Robin laughed. "No, but seriously, what's wrong? Had a bad day too?"_

_ "Um..no..it was pretty good. I'm sorry about your day though. So what happened, do you want to talk about it?"_

_ "It was just one thing after another, really. And then I came home to find my boyfriend acting weird as hell! Tell me what's wrong you idiot," she sat up and looked at him._

_ "Nothing is wrong!"_

_ "Your hands are sweating, Barney. I've never seen you look this nervous. Would you just tell me already?"_

_ "I'm not nervous...Do you want some scotch or something? I could use a drink..." he got to his feet, but as he sat up the ring box that was placed in his pocket fell out on to the floor._

_ "Barney...what is that?" Robin didn't pick it up, she just stared at it with confusion. Barney's insides flipped over and he muttered 'Oh, shit'._

_ "Barney..." Robin said again. He just stood there, wanting to reverse time._

_ "Okay, I wanted this to be the most perfect night ever and I wanted to wait until later...but I guess it's not going to go to plan now, I should probably just come out and say it." Robin's face was as white as ghost. She knew what he was about to say. To be honest, she hadn't even thought about marriage with Barney. After everything that had happened with Kevin and everything between Barney and Quinn, marriage or engagement were the last things she wanted to think about. He got on his knee, picked the box up off the floor and held it open._

_ "Robin Scherbatsky, will you marry me?" She stared at it for a while before saying anything - it was perfect. It looked like it must have cost him an absolute fortune and the size of the diamond blew her mind._

_ "Oh my God, Barney..." He sat back up onto the couch, the ring still on show._

_ "Just listen to me. I know we have only been back together a few weeks but how perfect have they been? I'm never happier than when I am with you, Robin. We have been through a lot, you and I, and it's about time we just stop messing around and do what both of us really want. I know you want this. The truth is, I proposed to Quinn because it was the safe option, it was less risky than admitting I was still in love with you. Because I was, Robin, I always was. There has never been a day when I stopped loving you. At the time I thought marrying Quinn was what I wanted, when really it was the complete opposite. I was just...I was scared to tell you the truth because I was afraid of being hurt again._ _Now we're together again, it made me realise that it wasn't proposing that was wrong, it was the person I was proposing to. I want to marry you, Robin, and I know you want to marry me too."_

_ "Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes," she blurted. Robin would never admit it but Barney knew there was definitely a tear or two in her eyes. The words registered in his mind and he broke out into a huge smile. He placed the ring on her finger and he looked into her eye._

_ "I promise you this will be the best marriage of all time," he smiled. He attacked her with a kiss._

_ "Whoa dude, we haven't got married yet. Just the engagement," she paused for a breath and laughed. _

_ "You know what I mean."_

_ "Yeah, I do. I love you Barney, and that speech. You almost got me crying..." she smiled, knowing full well that she had shed a tear._

_ "Should I just pretend to ignore the tear I saw roll down your cheek then?" _

_ "Yeah." They laughed and got back to kissing. Even though it hadn't been how Barney imagined it, it had been perfect all the same._

_ "I've got something special to show you," Barney stood up and took Robin's hand in his. He led her to the bedroom doorway and she gasped._

_ "Oh wow, Barney...this is perfect." He was going to tell her that he had done this once before, back in a November not that long ago, but he decided that bringing up that day would only cause friction between them and hey, enough emotional stuff had already been said for one day. _

_ "For a perfect person," he put his arms around her waist and brought her in for a gentle kiss._

_ "I love you so much."_

_ "I love you too."_

Barney smiled at the memory. It finally felt like things were getting back to normal again. He looked down at Robin and sighed happily, it was comforting to know that she was just sleeping and that he could wake her at any time. He caught sight of the clock and realised it was getting particularly late. He knew that Robin was going to have to stay overnight in the hospital for the next couple of days at the least and he wished he could stay with her the whole time. For the next half an hour Barney walked around the hospital room, taking in the environment for the hundredth time in the past few weeks. He was flicking through her get well cards when he was shocked by a movement from the bed.

"I was surprised at how many of those I got," Robin said, her eyes meeting the card Barney was holding.

"Why? You know how popular you are," he laughed, sitting back down on the seat next to the bed.

"Have you really stayed here the whole time? Haven't you been bored?" she asked.

"A little. But it was nice to watch you sleep."

"Creep."

"You love me really."

"Yeah, I do," her eyes glistened with a hint of vulnerability.

"I think I'm going to stay the night tonight," Barney said, tucking Robin's hair behind her ear.

"Really? At the hospital? You don't have to do that," her voice was still croaky, but Barney could tell the sleep had helped.

"Nah, it's fine. I told you, I can't sleep without you at the apartment anyway."

"I love you." Barney smiled at the words. It really did seem like since this accident they had formed some sort of cheesiness in their relationship that never used to be there. It was different, but Barney didn't mind, he loved Robin with all his heart and nothing would ever change that.

"I guess the visiting hours are supposed to be over now, I'm going to get kicked out aren't I?"

"Since when has that stopped you?" she grinned, and Barney leant over her to kiss her gently.

"I've been waiting to do that for way too long."


End file.
